As the nation remembers Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this weekend, the NBA announced a campaign to honor the life and legacy of the late civil rights leader. Over the weekend, the league, teams, coaches and current and former players will engage in a national dialogue about race and quality on NBA platforms.
On the day of MLK, the league will air five nationally televised episodes on DTT and NBA, beginning at 12:00 p.m. (Eastern Time). During these games and throughout the weekend, teams will wear Nike MLK Day warm-up jerseys designed in partnership with the NBPA, MLK Foundation and Martin Luther King III. The front of the T-shirt features the words of MLK’s timeless I Have a Dream speech, which he gave on the 28th. August 1963 March on Washington, D.C: The time has come for justice for all, and on the back is HONOR KING with an inscription bearing the signature of Dr. King, Jr. Both messages are printed in a font derived from the road signs used by Dr. King, Jr. Memorial march on the 8th. April 1968 were used.
- Nike MLK Standby Warm-up
- Nike MLK Front Warm Up Tag
For the weekend, the NBA will unveil the We Must Learn campaign, which encourages everyone to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and continue his legacy. Featuring original sound bites from Dr. King and an instrumental from Public Enemy Stronger Than You Think, this spot features photos and videos of peaceful protests within the civil rights movement, filled with images of NBA players, coaches and executives demonstrating against social injustice in their communities over the past year. Dr. King’s words will be heard on the spot, and images of people from all walks of life will gather on the basketball court. The following words are underlined:
Above all, we must learn to love
Because we are all connected
We must act now
We are in America and we must learn to live together
We are not going anywhere
We must learn to love
– Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Members of the NBA family including Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, Mark Cuban and Luka Dončić of the Dallas Mavericks, Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers will be in attendance, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, Lonzo Ball and Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans, Vivek Ranadive of the Sacramento Kings, Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs and Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards will be in attendance on Wednesday, January. 13 during the Brooklyn Nets game against the New York Knicks at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and NBA social and digital platforms.
On MLK Day, the NBA will host a virtual roundtable to discuss Dr. King’s vision of racial equality and the modern social justice movement. Joining Caron Butler will be Wayne Embry, NBA champion and the league’s first black executive director, Terry Freeman, president of the National Museum of Civil Rights and founder of E Pluribus Unum, and Mitch Landrieu, former mayor of New Orleans, NBA champion, assistant coach of the Miami Heat and member of the board of directors of the Vera Institute of Justice, for a candid discussion of Dr. King’s life and vision for equality and injustice today. King on equality, and the impact of racism and injustice in America today.
The 40-minute discussion will take place on Monday the 18th. January, at 11:00 a.m., live on Twitter @NBA. IT.
You can see all the MLK Day games below.
- Orlando Magic vs. New York Knicks – 12 p.m. ET on NBA TV
- Minnesota Timberwolves vs Atlanta Hawks – 2:30. AND on NBA TV
- Phoenix Suns vs. Memphis Grizzlies – 5 p.m. (Eastern Time) on TNT
- Milwaukee Bucks vs. Brooklyn Nets – 7:30 p.m. (Eastern time) on TNT
- The Golden State Warriors vs. the Los Angeles Lakers – 10 p.m. ET on TNT
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